Ramrod molding

[bnail]

What is the best way to cut good straight molding along the ramrod?
I have this image of rather pronounced molding in certain rifles but cannot seem to find any example.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I let the barrel pins protrude enough to support a long straight edge.  Then I use a knife to incise a line along the straight edge, or draw a line and cut it with a parting chisel.  From there, you can add a second line, or create a bead rather than an incised line, or remove stock above or below the line to make a molding. or....

[Mike Brooks]

I strike a line and then use a tool checkering tool that is designed to straighten checkering mistakes. Generally not pronounced, many/most originals are less than or about 1/32". Some folks use a scratch stock to scrape in complex moldings...never could figure out how that works.

[Mark Elliott]

I draw the lines in pencil as best I can freehand and then cut them in with a Sloyd knife that has all but about 1/2" of the tip of the edge ground off.   It is just a little rounded tip at the end of the blade.   I roll/walk that tip down the long lines.   I use that tool for cutting in all my moulding or long lines.   The tool is also used for the initial cuts up to the stab-ins of relief carving and to remove carving background.   I is probably my most used carving tool these days.   

That is what I use for one of a kind moulding or moulding where I can't use a scratch stock.   A lot of my Virginia guns have the same forearm moulding and I use a scratch stock to cut those.   You can make a scratch stock for complex mouldings or mouldings that you will repeat a lot. 

You can see my tools here:  http://www.markelliottva.com/wordpress/2016/02/cutting-mouldings/

[flehto]

I use a tool that is illustrated in Buchele's book and it has saved a lot of time in establishing the incised line of the molding on both sides of the RR groove.  A 1/2 " wide chisel clears the wood for the molding to stand in relief and then a round file concaves the surface of the molding or it can be left flat. This tool has cut many  moldings , but has to have a facility to put the cutter on both ends of the tool....otherwise long lengths  can't be cut. The rod rides in the RR groove  and some compensation has to be made w/ swamped bls...not a big deal.....Fred

[Ky-Flinter]

I use a scratch stock tool I made.





-Ron

[bnail]

I use a scratch stock tool I made.





-Ron

Thats the molding i was invisioning.  And what i would like to eventually put on a rifle.  Is that a southern trait?

[M. E. Pering]

I simply draw a line (don't even use a straightedge, just rest my finger in the ramrod channel and use it to guide me), then take my pocket knife and walk it up the line to keep it straight.  Then I relieve the background with a chisel, and use a small riffler file to clean it up.  And since my moldings are concave, I then take a small gouge and start a little depression in the center of the molding.  I follow this with a broken piece of chainsaw file to get the shape and depth I am looking for.  Takes me about 30-45 minutes per side using this method.

M. E. Pering

[Ky-Flinter]

Thats the molding i was invisioning.  And what i would like to eventually put on a rifle.  Is that a southern trait?

I don't know.  That's just the moulding shape I liked.

-Ron

[EC121]

I use this to make a line.  Then enlarge it to whatever I want.  It might also make a scratchstock with a little modification.

[rich pierce]

Forestock moldings vary widely. There are no trends so wide as Southern or Northern or Pennsylvania or Virginia.